1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shock absorber mounting devices and more particularly pertains to a new shock absorber mounting device for attaching a shock absorber ball joint to a truck chassis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of shock absorber mounting devices is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,2692 describes an annular support for positioning between a vehicle and shock absorber piston rod for the purpose of limiting vibrations. Another type of shock absorber mounting device is U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,089 that includes a twisting surface that aids in the alignment of a shock absorber as it is being mounted on a vehicle. Yet another such device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,363 that includes a first portion for receiving the upper end of a damper and a second portion that includes a seat for seating the upper end of a suspension spring. U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,573 describes a strut mounting structure.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for a device that allows sport shocks to be mounted on pick-up trucks. Such shocks include a ball joint, otherwise known as a Heim joint, as opposed to elastomeric joints found on conventional shock absorbers. The joints allow for movement of the shock absorber to move about its longitudinal axis. Heim joints, found on high-end sport shock absorbers, offer additional strength over elastomeric joints. Sport shocks also include a reservoir that typically comprises a nitrogen charged container. The reservoir is fluidly coupled to the shock absorber housing to provide the required biasing pressure to function properly under large loads such as a truck landing on a ground surface following a jump.
Aside from the different joints, the reservoir poses unique problems when mounting such a shock absorber on a vehicle, and in particular Dodge Ram 4×4 trucks that include Dodge Ram 2500 series four wheel drive trucks offered at least from 1994 to 2005, Dodge Rams 3500 series four wheel drive trucks offered from at least 1994 to 2005 and Dodge Ram 1500 series four wheel drive trucks offered from 1994 through 2001. Conventional mountings for these trucks do not have large enough openings extending therethrough to allow the reservoir to pass through the mounting. As such, a person wishing to mount a high performance shock absorber must disassemble it so that the reservoir is removed from the shock absorber housing. After the shock absorber is positioned within the mounting, the reservoir must again be coupled to the shock absorber. This is a time consuming and unpleasant task.
Additionally, the trucks in question may include a turbo charger. The turbo charger must be cleared when using a high performance shock absorber mounting. The mountings of the prior art will not both clear the turbo charger and provide the strength requirements needed for the type of off-road driving that would be expected by a person who utilized high performance shock absorbers.
What is needed is a mounting that allows a person to retrofit high performance shock absorbers to particularly designed trucks so that the truck is more versatile for off-road driving. The mounting should also allow for passage of the reservoir therethrough so that the reservoir need not be removed from the shock absorber. Finally, the mounting should have the ability to clear the turbo charger so that high performance shock absorbers may be retrofitted to the vehicle with only minimal effort.